Rig Too Fast for Conditions
The Tractor trailer rig that shut down traffic on Highway 101 yesterday morning was apparently going too fast for conditions according to Captain Kyle Kennedy with the Oregon State Police. The empty chip truck driven by Andrew Jacob Vader was traveling southbound near milepost 197 just before the Siltcoos bridge in a driving rain and failed to negotiate the curve in the road and crashed into the guardrail on the west side of Highway 101. No other vehicles were in volved in the accident. Vader was warned for driving too fast for conditions and his actions were reported to the Oregon Department of Motor Vehicles. Western Lane Fire and EMS also responded. Traffic was delayed in the area for about 2 hours.
Property Sale
The murky future of the dam controlling water levels on Siltcoos Lake could be clearing soon. That dam, and another like it on Tahkenitch Lake, were part of an online real estate auction November 16th. According to Realty Marketing/Northwest, the firm handling the transaction, a sale is pending for both dams as well as the 440 acre site of the former International Paper Mill in Gardener. Both dam were built a little more than 60-years ago to provide water for the manufacturing facility that closed permanently in 1999. Several residents on the shore of Siltcoos Lake could be negatively impacted by the sale if the new owners want to remove the dam for environmental reasons. Representatives of Realty Marketing Northwest could not be reached for comment.
Logger Recognized
The Oregon Department of Forestry recognizes three different logging companies each year as being the best in their region. One region consists of everything east of the Cascade Range, the balance of the state on the west side is split into the northwest and southwest regions. For the second time in the past decade, R & R King logging has been named the “operator of the year” for the Southwest District. But, this is actually the third time they’ve won the award because in 2002 they won it for the Northwest District. The award recognizes forest operators who consistently meet or exceed natural resources protection requirements while doing forest work. King Logging, along with the two other regional winners, one from the north coast in Warrenton, the other from La Grande in Eastern Oregon, will be formally recognized January 4th by the Oregon Board of Forestry. R&R King logging has been working in the forests of Western Oregon more than 50-years and the workforce has grown to 75 employees. Bobby King will be our guest on the December Our Town.
Busy Weekend Ahead for FEC
Every usable space available at the Florence Events Center is going to be in use this weekend. F-E-C manager Tim Mendolia says there are two activities going on in the “flat floor” portion of the center, and a major production going on in the theater.
We’re going to breath deep and then push hard into this weekend because it’s going to be busy.”
Friday marks the beginning of what will be a 3-day run of the Holly Jolly Follies in the theater. The annual “Empty Bowls” fund raiser for Florence Food Share will also begins Friday, but following a three day run this week, it will return for two more days next week. This weekend’s third activity? The Florence Regional Arts Alliance Holiday Arts Festival. Both Empty Bowls and the Holiday Arts Festival offer hundreds and hundreds of locally created art and craft items to round out your gift shopping.
